A discussion of comics featuring minorty and/or queer characters.

August 4, 2017August 13, 2017

As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman

As the Crow Flies is a story about a young queer girl as she attends an all-white Christian camp by Melanie Gillman. The art style is really beautiful and unique. The usage of colored pencils adds this youthful feel to it that really aids in a story about a young girl.

I really love media that features young LGBT+ characters. As my blog states, media should be all about representation. There should be characters for young queer people to look up to and also empathize with. Being a young person is already challenging and confusing enough, it can be even more so for a person struggling with questions regarding their sexuality.

I really loved this page of the comic, because I can relate so heavily to this situation. I, myself, still struggle to speak up when faced with situations that I find to be offensive. Especially when you’re the only person of color in the room. I’m unsure of Charlie’s gender preference, however, speaking as a black woman speaking out about injustices can be particularly difficult. The “angry black woman” trope has made it difficult for black women to express any emotion other than complacency or happiness. There’s always a fear of perpetuating that stereotype even when faced with injustice.

Overall, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this webcomic. The rhetoric feels very off putting to me in ways that I can’t fully explain. A central focus of the webcomic is Christianity and I do have adverse feelings towards Christianity, but I am generally accepting of it as a religion. However, there’s something about this webcomic that I personally don’t like that I can’t quite put my finger on yet. I’m about half way through reading it, and maybe I’ll unpack why I don’t like it as I continue. If I do, I’ll be sure to post an update!